Recently in the news was the case of a child found unresponsive in their mother’s car in Victoria, after the mother assumed she had dropped the child off at their primary school. In light of this incident, it seems right for teachers to question where their duty of care obligations to their students end. And with schools […]

A new discussion paper released by the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) in NSW, Shaping a better child protection system (the Discussion Paper) is a reminder to schools about the importance of mandatory reporting regarding child safety incidents. Background to the Discussion Paper The Discussion Paper was released by the NSW Government on 20 October […]

A falling tree branch has injured two people on the grounds of a school at Bendigo North, in central Victoria when the branch came down on the school’s basketball court. It serves as a timely reminder for schools of the importance of an effective tree management policy, including regular inspections and recommendations from an accredited arborist. Trees […]

In response to this question, the answer is probably ‘yes’ in some circumstances but ‘no’ in most circumstances. ‘Transgender’ is used as an umbrella term to refer to a person whose gender identity is different to the physical sex assigned to them at birth (definition taken from this Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission Guideline). […]

A pilot program for child sexual abuse victim evidence has been rolled out in Newcastle and Sydney Downing Centre courts. The trial reached its halfway point this month with the delivery of a UNSW report Evaluation of the Child Sexual Offence Evidence Pilot (the Evaluative Report). The program is the first of its kind in Australia […]

It’s not only students in the school yard being caught bullying at school. Bullying also affects school staff. In recent news, a NSW primary school teacher has received a six-figure settlement after claiming she attempted suicide as a result of being bullied by her principal and isolated by her colleagues for more than a year. Although […]

According to The Age, the Victorian Education Minister has ordered a sweeping review of the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) after it gave the green light for a teacher who told incest stories and another who pleaded guilty to a sex crime to keep their registration. Pressure has been mounting on the VIT by the Victorian […]

A New Zealand teacher has been suspended for two years after being caught smelling of alcohol at school. Although the incident occurred across the Tasman, the lessons from this case are definitely a helpful reminder for Australian schools and teachers. Mr C and the Teacher Disciplinary Tribunal Mr C was suspended for misconduct after a […]

Scarily, teacher assaults are a growing trend around Australia. Media reports highlight an ever increasing rate of teachers being assaulted or suffering injuries sustained during the course of their work. Is it any wonder why teachers have one of the largest attrition rates of any profession in Australia? Recently the Herald Sun reported that a Victorian high […]

In a recent School Governance article, we commented about school social media policies, privacy and the posting of images of children online by parents. However, it is not just the posting of online images that may cause issues in a school. There have been several cases over the last few years regarding employees who have been dismissed because […]